JUNE Mar Fajardo is ready to plunge back into action in the PBA.
San Miguel Beer’s prized center said he has overcome the physical and mental hurdles that cropped up in the course of his leg injury suffered more than a year ago and is now ready to do whatever he can to help the team.
“Okay na ako, kaya ng makipagsabayan,” Fajardo told Malaya-Business Insight in an interview. “Sumasama na nga ako sa mga 5-on-5 namin and lagi all-out. So far, okay naman.”
Fajardo suffered the injury in early February last year, forcing him out of the Philippine Cup, the lone conference played out last season due to the pandemic.
The 31-year-old’s injury got infected late last year, but it has sufficiently healed and he has clawed his way back to peak physical form.
The only remaining obstacle is the mental trauma of the injury, which he suffered while going for a layup to finish a solo fastbreak. Fajardo admitted in an interview late last month that there were still lingering memories of that incident.
But he has now put all that behind him.
“Wala na ‘yung nerbiyos, ‘yung takot,” said Fajardo. “Nakikipagbanggaan na nga ako sa practice, full sprints, ganoon.”
Of big help was the presence of fellow frontliners Mo Tautuaa, Fonz Gotladera and James Sena, who he played with or against in the Beermen’s practices at the Aquamarine Recreational Center in Lipa City and helped him regain his form.
The long delay in the season opening also aided his full recovery and he is now simply eager to play in an official game.
“Sobrang tagal ng walang laro kaya talagang gustong-gusto ko ng maglaro,” he said.
That should come as bad news for the rest of the competition.
In stretching his record season MVP awards to six straight in 2019, Fajardo posted averages of 18.9 points, 13.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks over 61 games and powered SMB to the Philippine Cup and Commissioner’s Cup titles.
Fajardo, however, admitted his playing time might be limited in SMB’s first few games as the coaching staff led by Leo Austria assesses his game and condition.
The PBA is set to start its new season this Friday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig although it is not yet known if SMB is featured in one of the three opening games.
League personnel and media joining the closed-circuit set-up underwent swab testing yesterday while those from the teams had their own separate RT-PCRs done in their own testing facilities. The schedule, at least for the opening week, will be released after the results come out.
Fajardo maintained he’d be ready. “Hindi ko alam kung gaano ako magiging effective, kasi nga ang tagal na walang laro,” he said. “Pero ang promise ko lang ibibigay ko lagi 100 percent ko and lahat ng magagawa ko para matulungan ang team.”
